The Latest: ACLU seeks contempt ruling against Kobach

TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — The Latest on Kansas Secretary of State Kris Kobach and voting rights (all times local):

12:10 p.m.

The American Civil Liberties Union has asked a federal judge to hold Kansas Secretary of State Kris Kobach in contempt of court, alleging that he refused to comply with multiple orders.

A court notice on Tuesday shows U.S. District Judge Julie Robinson will handle the ACLU request. The latest legal skirmish stems from Robinson’s earlier preliminary injunction ordering Kobach to register for all federal elections people who registered to vote at driver’s license offices, regardless of whether they provided documentary proof of citizenship.

The group late Monday filed a motion saying Kobach is refusing to send those voters a certificate of registration which contains information such as the polling location or to correct erroneous information in the election manual.

Kobach’s office did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

(This story has been corrected to reflect that the group pursuing the legal action is the American Civil Liberties Union, not the American Civil Rights Union.)

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9:07 a.m.

A spokesman for the U.S. Department of Homeland Security says Kansas Secretary of State Kris Kobach is not advising the agency on election fraud issues.

But Kobach told The Kansas City Star on Monday that the White House has informed him that it wants him to work closely with President Donald Trump and his team.

He said his role is not formal and has not been fleshed out after Trump disbanded a commission on election fraud. Kobach was the commission’s vice chairman.

Acting DHS spokesman Tyler Houlton told The AP in an email last week that Kobach was not advising the department. He told The Star on Monday that Kobach was not advising the agency formally or informally.

The White House said DHS would handle any future election fraud review.